Broad Area Colloquium For AI-Geometry-Graphics-Robotics-Vision
(CS 528)


Intelligent user interfaces: an AI challenge

Daniel S. Weld
Computer Science Department
University of Washington
Monday, February 9, 2004, 4:15PM
TCSeq 200
http://graphics.stanford.edu/ba-colloquium/

Abstract

Today's computer interfaces are one size fits all. Users with little programming experience have very limited opportunities to customize an interface to their task and work habits. Furthermore, the overhead induced by generic interfaces will be proportionately greater on small form-factor PDAs, embedded applications and wearable devices. Searching for a solution, researchers argue that productivity can be greatly enhanced if interfaces anticipated their users, adapted to their preferences, and reacted to high-level customization requests. But realizing these benefits is tricky, because there is an inherent tension between the dynamism implied by automatic interface adaptation and the stability required in order for the user to predict the computer's behavior and maintain control. This talk will list challenges for the field, describe principles governing effective adaptation, and present new algorithms for data mining user action traces and dynamically transforming interfaces.

About the Speaker

Daniel S. Weld is Thomas J. Cable / WRF Professor of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Washington. After formative education at Phillips Academy, he received bachelor's degrees in both Computer Science and Biochemistry at Yale University in 1982. He landed a Ph.D. from the MIT Artificial Intelligence Lab in 1988, received a Presidential Young Investigator's award in 1989, an Office of Naval Research Young Investigator's award in 1990, and was named AAAI Fellow in 1999. Weld is on the editorial board of Artificial Intelligence, was a founding editor for the Journal of AI Research, and was Program Chair for AAAI-96. Weld has published two books and scads of technical papers on AI, planning, software agents, and intelligent interfaces.

Weld is an active entrepreneur with several patents and technology licenses. In May 1996, he co-founded Netbot, creator of Jango Shopping Search, later acquired by Excite. In October 1998, Weld co-founded AdRelevance, a revolutionary monitoring service for internet advertising, which was acquired by Media Metrix and subsequently by Nielsen NetRatings. In June 1999, Weld co-founded data integration company Nimble Technology which was acquired by the Actuate Corporation. In January 2001, Weld joined the Madrona Venture Group as a Venture Partner and member of the Technical Advisory Board.


Contact: bac-coordinators@cs.stanford.edu

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